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When Shaquille O'Neal Revealed the Opponent He Could Never Intimidate; Can You Guess Who?
Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players to ever play the NBA but even the former LA Lakers legend was never able to intimidate one player on the court, according to him.
NBA players can respond extra physically on the court. They can choose to respond or let it go when they are the target of unintentional strikes or cheap shots. Such an incident's memory frequently bothers Shaquille O'Neal. The former NBA superstar had his moments against a lot of players on the court but he did reveal one name which he could never intimidate.
What Did Shaquille O’Neal Write in His Autobiography?
Even though O'Neal claimed not to feel the strike, he had a desire to "come up swinging." Rather, he recalled a lesson he had learned from his earlier matchup with Hakeem Olajuwon, in which he had bowled his opponent in the stomach during the 1995 Finals. The Houston Rockets legend told him, "That was a good one," and let his play speak for itself instead of getting upset.
O’Neal wrote, "He came down on the next play, threw five moves at me, and hit a fadeaway. As we were running back down the floor, he said, 'You've got to hit me harder, big fella.' I remember thinking, 'Damn, so that's how it's done.'"
Hakeem Dominated the Magic
Shaq probably learned a lot more from his first Finals appearance than just from Olajuwon about how to control the urge to retaliate in crucial circumstances. The Rockets thrashed the Orlando Magic, showing that they were well out of their league. Hakeem was a menace for Shaq and dropped 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and a combined total of 4.0 steals and blocks per game. Eventually, "Diesel" acknowledged that the only opponent he could never intimidate or understand was Hakeem.
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